Chapter Text
Izuku has always enjoyed analyzing the things he loves, whether that be a show, or a movie, or an anime, a book, or whatever. If it touched his life, he yearned to analyze it, and extract whatever he could out of it, and make a connection with it. The connections he would make based on what he saw interested him and brought him joy. It’s no wonder he voiced his thoughts on them, whether he was conscious of it or not.
This is where the issues began.
Others didn’t take too kindly towards his mutterings and ramblings. He never meant any harm or to distract anyone, he just gets caught up in his thoughts, and his interests. Sometimes it became difficult for him to focus on the task at hand because all he could think about was something that interested him lately. He doodled in the margins of his school books, made quick notes on the nearest paper when something new popped into his brain so he wouldn’t forget it, so it’s safe to say he got a little distracted at times. This did not do him well to get him on the teacher’s good side. It did quite the opposite actually, try as he might to do his best at school.
Between this and the fact that he tended to be emotional, the other students at school were downright cruel, throwing insults at him every which way. Things like “airhead,” “Deku,” and “crybaby,” were the most common taunts.
Why couldn’t the other students leave him alone? All he wanted to do was get into UA high school, graduate, and pursue his dream of being a musician. Was that too much to ask?
He looked at the mirror, finally giving up on trying to tame his unruly curls. He took note of the fact that his dark roots were beginning to show past the mess of green locks. ‘I’ll probably need to pick up more hair dye on the way home from school,’ he thought, allowing a small frown to form.
He headed out the door with a small wave to his mom. She was a shorter woman, with round features, and green eyes, similar to her son’s, and she also had the same naturally dark hair, but unlike her son, she didn’t have galaxies of freckles, and she didn’t dye her hair (though in certain lighting it had an almost green sheen to it).
Although he couldn’t place it, he was strangely apprehensive about today, or at least, more so than usual, the familiar buzzing under his skin rising in intensity with a great crescendo. He pushed it away and made his way to the train, not wanting to be late to class simply because of nerves again this week.
In his rush, he almost ran straight into a tall boy, with seemingly gravity-defying, indigo-colored hair, who looked exceedingly tired and unamused.
“Sorry about that!” Izuku managed to bumble out. The stranger only nodded in acknowledgment. Nervousness wormed its way to the surface. Had he somehow offended him? His brain went into overdrive on how to remedy the tense situation.
“I’m Izuku Midoriya!” He said, his voice high and wavering with nerves.
“Hitoshi Shinsou.” Came his curt reply.
“Nice to meet you!” Izuku said, beginning to calm down slightly. He noticed that the train was at his stop. “Well, I’ve got to go, since this is my stop.” He said, tacking on an “AlsoIthinkyourhairiscool, bye!” as an afterthought as he rushed towards the door of the train.
Finally, he made it to Aldera Junior High without further incident. He wasn’t sure if his heart could take another confrontation. Things were relatively the same as they were any day, with a few of the students “accidentally” shoulder-checking him in the halls. He made it to class and was getting through school relatively alright, only losing focus a couple of times. That is until the last class period of the day. The teacher announced that they were discussing career options, and brought up how Katsuki Bakugou, Izuku’s childhood friend turned bully planned to get into UA, one of the most prestigious high schools with a focus on the arts in the entire country.
The blonde leaned back in his chair, with his feet up on the desk and his red eyes ablaze with smug pride, stating how he would be the only student from their school to be getting into UA and to “shut up like the extras they are”. Izuku cowered down in his seat, in an attempt to make himself smaller so Bakugou (He dropped the nickname, Kacchan, long ago.) wouldn’t turn his explosive temper on him.
This teacher decided from day one that he simply did not like Izuku, because of his muttering, and doodles in the margins of his assignments, so it, unfortunately, wasn’t a surprise when the next words out of his mouth were, “Oh, yeah, Midoriya wanted to UA too right?”
The class erupted into laughter, which drowned out Izuku’s quiet sigh. The teacher didn’t bother hiding that cruel, self-satisfied smirk. He knew that it would cause an uproar. As stated before, the teacher had it decided from day one that he didn’t like Izuku. ‘How is he even a teacher?’ he thought to himself as the laughter finally died down. He tried to ignore their harassment and bullying, but it never worked no matter how hard he tried.
Bakugou turned around and slammed a hand onto his desk, creating a loud noise that caused Izuku to startle with a jolt.
“You really think they’ll let you into UA, Deku?! You’re just an airheaded, wannabe musician who can’t even play in tune!” Bakugou yelled whilst sneering at him.
“I’m not trying to compete with you, it’s just been my dream since I was younger to go to UA, and become a musician. I might not get in, but I at least want to try…” Izuku muttered, trying to avoid making eye contact with Bakugou, who was very much in his space.
“What, are you trying the auditions for fun?! Heck, you’d probably chicken out before you even got there, coward. The school’s music problem is already crappy and underfunded! Are you trying to embarrass it more by failing so hard?!”
Finally, after a few more gibes against his ability as a musician and his emotions, his tirade ended at long last and the teacher returned to teaching.
The class ended and Izuku rushed to get his stuff pulled together so he could leave as soon as possible. ‘Perhaps that person with the purple hair will be on the train again. Maybe we can be friends!’ he thought to himself as he picked up his journal and was about to leave.
Unfortunately, Bakugou had other ideas. Without warning his notebook was snatched from his hands, the cover being bent some from the action.
“Give that back!” Izuku pleaded, his voice becoming higher in pitch. That was the notebook that held a lot of his analysis and music he’d written, he couldn’t let it get destroyed. Bakugou ignored him.
“Most musicians show potential early on, people know they’re destined for greatness, and they even have stories about them from their school days. When I’m the only student from our school to get into UA, they’ll realize my potential and I’ll be one of those individuals!” He sneered, glaring at Izuku. The students who were standing behind Bakugou wore disparaging smiles, commenting half-heartedly on his ego.
Bakugou threw the journal out the window that had been opened earlier in class, to allow for fresh air, and put his hand on Izuku’s shoulder in a mockery of a friendly gesture.
“Here’s some advice, nerd. Don’t apply for UA.” A false smile was plastered on Bakugou’s face, but his bruising grip on Izuku’s shoulder betrayed his true intention. The other student’s comments were now turned to Izuku’s lack of response. He was more interested in finding an opening to escape and getting his journal back, so he tuned them out.
“If you really want to be a musician so bad, pray to have some talent in the next life and take a swan dive off the roof.” Bakugou finally let go and turned away to walk out the door. Izuku felt rage begin to boil under his skin and he turned towards the door, where Bakugou and the two other students were.
“What?” Bakugou said, a contemptuous expression upon his face. Any confidence Izuku felt faded away, and he looked to the floor and waited for them to leave.
When they were finally gone, Izuku rushed to leave the building and grab his journal, only to find it in the koi pond, the fish surrounding it.
“Dang it, stop that, that’s not food…” he muttered under his breath. He sighed, ‘What did I ever do to him? Idiot… you can’t go around telling people to jump off a rooftop, you can’t just tell someone to end their life, you can’t just tell someone something like that.. Stupid jerk.’
Izuku walked towards the train station distractedly, lost in his thoughts. He didn’t even notice one of his school bullies coming up behind him.
“Hey, Deku!” Came a brash voice, from behind him in the tunnel. Izuku jumped, gripping his journal defensively, not wanting it to get damaged further. “You think a talentless idiot like you can get into UA?! Don’t make me laugh! You can’t even get good grades, do you think they’d really accept you?!”
The bully sneered and shoved Izuku so hard that he dropped his journal. Izuku lunged to pick it back up and book it, only to be pushed again. They continued their harangue on why he wouldn’t get into UA, but Izuku wasn’t paying attention, instead focusing on trying to find a chance to get away, panic rising in his chest.
As the bully pushed him again, causing him to bump unceremoniously into the wall of the tunnel, a booming voice echoed out.
“What’s going on? Why are you pushing him?” the other student paled and booked it out of the tunnel, and Izuku turned and saw who it was that saved him.
“ALL MIGHT!?” Izuku exclaimed in shock, his voice echoing in the narrow space. One of the most well-known musicians in Japan just helped him!
“Yes, that is me! Good to see you are alright? Do kids at your school bully you often? You should get a trusted adult to help if you are being bullied!” All Might said loudly.
Izuku, still in shock, grabbed his notebook and asked him to sign it, to which he obliged. As All Might was about to leave Izuku, without thinking, blurted out, “Do you think someone like me could get into UA? I tend to lose focus a lot and have trouble in school, but I love music, and it’s been my dream since I was little… Can I hope to ever become a musician like you?” Izuku trailed off, not wanting to devolve into muttering or to begin rambling, especially not in front of All Might.
All Might frowned slightly and spoke more quietly than before. “If you can’t get good grades or focus on school then it’ll be difficult to get into UA. Maybe try for a different school. You can try to become a musician but it’ll be difficult, so keep your mind open to other career options. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to make it in the music industry.”
On that note, with a pointed, “Be careful!” All Might left Izuku to gather his thoughts. Instead of heading towards the train station like he originally planned, Izuku snuck into the school auditorium.
They weren’t supposed to be there after school without permission and supervision, but Izuku preferred to practice there because it was quiet, and he didn’t have to worry about being pestered by his mother. He loved her, really, but sometimes she could be really overbearing. She wanted him to decide on an easier career instead of pursuing his dreams of being a musician. It was disheartening at best, shattering at worst. Ever since he was little, all he wanted to do was be a musician like All Might and play the kind of music that would put a smile on people’s faces and help them through their tough times.
He quickly put his clarinet together on the stage and made sure the coast was clear. He began to play one of his favorite songs that he recently found the sheet music for. With each swell, each bright and brilliant note, he found himself lost in the song. The feeling of air through the clarinet resounding in gentle runs and trills.
He found himself getting lost in the notes and rhythms, so much so that he didn’t notice the door to the auditorium had never fully shut, allowing his music to be heard by anyone passing by. And that’s exactly what happened. He was so focused on his music that he didn’t even notice the tall figure that slipped quietly through the door.
He finished the last measure and looked up to make sure that none of the administrators were coming to lecture him when someone started clapping. Izuku started with a yelp and felt his cheeks start to heat up with embarrassment. Sat in a seat about five rows back was none other than All Might.
Izuku stood there for a second, unsure of how to go about this situation. Was he in trouble? Would All Might tell the administrators? Tell him his music was terrible? What if-
His train of thought was cut off when All Might began to speak. “I think I owe you an apology, young…” All Might trailed off, clearly hoping for a reply.
“I’m Izuku Midoriya!” He said quickly, in a bit of a panic.
“Right! I owe you an apology, young Midoriya. I should never have told you that you likely couldn’t be a musician. I heard you playing just now, and I think that with proper help, in both your studies and playing, you can make it into UA. You still have a bit of improvement you can make. For example, you had few points where you missed the rhythm, or some of your higher notes were cracked, among other little mistakes. You have potential and with some practice and polishing of your technique, you could become a great musician. How would you like for me to help you prepare to get into UA?”
Izuku felt like he was floating away, like a balloon someone had released. Startling, he remembered that he actually needed to reply to All Might instead of just standing there.
“Are… are you sure?” He says, slightly unsure. All Might nodded. It felt too good to be true.
“Ok, then yes please!” Izuku says, feeling excitement bubble to the surface. It seems he was right about something happening today after all. In the end, he forgot to pick up hair dye and resolved to just get more tomorrow, the event of that day still fresh in his mind. Little did he know that this was the beginning of an exciting journey, and a huge turning point in his life.
He would just have to wait and see where this decision would take him.